An Impossible Choice
by CrazyAbout
Summary: A different take on Connie's treachery that puts Ruth's life at stake. Characters from series 8 and 9 battle to save her.
1. Chapter 1

It had been nearly five minutes since Ros and Lucas had run out of the tube station and still the bomb hadn't gone off.

'She's played us,' said Harry, looking to Ruth as they continued to watch the link that had been set up on Tariq's computer. 'Get back here now,' he demanded as he watched their two colleagues, presumably debating which if either of them should go back to where they had left Connie. It wasn't long ago that they had lost Adam and the thought that he might lose another member of the team in what had already been a dreadful year was not something he could justify, no matter what the cost.

'I'll make some tea,' offered Tariq, well aware that Harry's temper was rising as Ruth followed him back into his office. Dimitri and Beth, who had joined the team after the loss of Adam, were pouring over their computers and trying to chase any leads as to where Connie might currently be.

Beth, who was currently living with Ruth albeit as a temporary measure, had one eye on what was going on in Harry's office. As usual when Ruth was in there, Harry seemed a lot calmer or at least he was by the time she came out again as opposed to his quite often volatile temper, that scared the hell out of her if she were to be honest. She knew that Harry or Ruth called each other almost every evening and she was certain that their chats as she called them had little if anything to do with work. Both she and Dimitri had heard rumours that at some time in the past Ruth had had to leave the section, so maybe their relationship had been going on for years, because a relationship it certainly was.

Once Ros and Lucas arrived back, Harry called them into the meeting room. Ruth and Tariq had already been in touch with the port authorities, the airports and those responsible for the channel tunnel, so there was no possible way that Connie could get out of the country.

'I need to tell the Home Secretary,' said Harry 'we've got one of our own with who knows what on her mind, apparently working with the Russians.'

'Not yet Harry.' said Ros, 'Connie knows that she can't get away so we need to work out what it is that's so important to her that she would go to all this trouble. She tried and failed to set you up, she hissed in your face when we dragged her off, so my suggestion would be that it's some sort of personal revenge that she has in mind.'

All eyes turned to Harry, watching his mind ticking over. He had known Connie for more than twenty five years which made it a hard pill to swallow, but he needed to forget this and remember that she wasn't the Connie of the early days when they had been in Northern Ireland together. Their most recent non work related conversation had been when Ruth was still away and he had opened the letter from the Palace. _No lady Pearce_ , she had said to him with a knowing look as she had offered to accompany him. She could well have noticed his reaction and it wouldn't have taken much effort for her to check recent records. Had she done so, she would have found out that Ruth had sacrificed herself for him and that he had attempted to save her by attacking Oliver Mace. Getting herself through the doors at six would have been a piece of cake in fact he wouldn't put it past her to have been in touch with Mace as well, wherever the bastard was. Ruth was back now and as much as they had tried to hide their growing closeness, Lucas and Ros certainly knew as quite probably did everyone else. If her plan was to hurt him, especially if Mace was involved, then Ruth would be the obvious target and he had to answer Ros's question, whether Ruth liked it or not.

He started by telling them that he and Connie had first worked together in Northern Ireland when she had been an agent there. There were too many ops to mention, but because the climate had been so volatile it had been almost second nature to go off piste from time to time and form relationships with people that you wouldn't normally associate. He had done many things that he had come to regret and maybe she had met someone there that he had inadvertently hurt.

'One thing is certain,' he said, if Connie's motives are directed at me, then the surest way to hurt me is to go after Catherine my daughter, but more likely Ruth.'

There was an uncomfortable silence during which time Ruth who had been watching him intently, looked down in what was an impossible attempt to disappear. It was Ros who rescued the situation by suggesting that they should all take a break. They could speculate for ages, but if they were going to find Connie then they needed to get their heads down and if needs be dig into every aspect of the last 30 years of her life.

'Come back in an hour's time,' she said to their retreating backs, as they filed out leaving Harry and Ruth on their own.

'I'm sorry but I had to tell them, not that they don't know anyway,' he said 'but we need help here and I had to answer Ros's question.'

'Is there a We?' she asked, looking him straight in the eye.

'Don't be so bloody stubborn,' he said not for the first time as he leant towards her, 'you know that there is and I'm not going to make the mistakes that I made the last time, because if I lose you again I can tell you now, I won't survive.'

It was brutally honest and totally heartfelt answer and if it had taken the very real fear that he would lose her again to declare how he felt, though not ideal, he had said it.


	2. Chapter 2

'Excuse me,' said Tariq, as he appeared at the door with a cup of tea for Ruth and a coffee for Harry, before seeing their faces and realising that yet again that he had disturbed them at the wrong moment.

Ruth who had been looking at Harry with a gentle acceptance in her eyes, but so far had said nothing, finally found her voice.

'What do we do Harry?' she said.

'We,' he said very pointedly but smiling at her, 'we sort this out, now drink your tea.'

Out on the grid Ros was barking orders as she set them tasks. Malcolm and Tariq were huddled round Tariq's computer and re running the footage from the moment that Ros, Lucas and Connie had entered the tube station up until an hour after they had exited. They were looking at CCTV at nearby stations because as far as they knew, Connie was on foot and bearing in mind that had been tired, she wouldn't have got far. Next on their list was to look at the routes that she might have taken above ground, more importantly those where she would have been able to avoid cameras. Away from the main thoroughfares, London was a warren of small side streets and by now she could be anywhere.

Dimitri and Beth had gone down to the archives and were working their way through a huge number of files, starting from the time when both Harry and Connie had been in Northern Ireland. It was a laborious task and scarily reminiscent of the short time ago when Ben had been searching for similar information and Connie had murdered him without a thought.

Ros headed back into the meeting room to appraise Harry as to what was going on and to see what if anything he and Ruth had discussed. The minute she arrived, Ruth jumped to her feet and announced that she needed to go back to the grid, there was work to do and she needed to keep busy.

Not usually known for her tact although far less brusque since they had lost Adam, Ros realised that the situation that she now found herself in was more than unusual and perhaps just for once she needed to be careful about what she said.

'Ruth's scared Harry and so are you, especially in view of what happened before. No matter what you tell me, your concern for Ruth will cloud your judgement, believe me I know. That's fine I fully understand, so I need you to stay on the grid and not go running about all over London. Connie didn't plan whatever this is on her own, she got help from somewhere and until we find out who that is, I don't want either you or Ruth taking any chances.'

She watched Harry as he pinched the bridge of his nose, a sure sign that he was upset. Only recently they had sat side by side in a bar the evening after Adam had been murdered, after what had been yet another betrayal.

'Not that I can actually run anymore, but assuming that I have your permission to go out today, I'll go and see Alec White. Providing he's sober, he could be just the extra help that we need. Oh and by the way thank you, from both of us.' He added.

Fifteen minutes later he was heading towards the pods having first spoken to Ruth who was at her desk looking through current chatter. Malcolm had promised to keep an eye on her whilst Harry was out and make sure she ate something when lunchtime came around. Ros had been adamant that he had a bodyguard and after another brief discussion, he had relented.

Alec White had been an excellent operative in his time, but following the breakup of his marriage, a series of poorly chosen relationships and an addition to alcohol, he had eventually been dismissal from the service. None then less, Harry had some sympathy with the man, he could so easily followed the same path. They had worked well together in the past and if you needed someone to think laterally and get into the mind of a traitor, then Alec was the best. Harry found him much as he had expected, living in what was not much better than a squat. Empty vodka bottles were strewn across the floor and the air was full of cigarette smoke and heaven knows what else. As for Alec's appearance it looked as though it would take more than a few cups of coffee to sober him up.

'Christ almighty you must be desperate,' slurred Alec as he let Harry in.

'Three months wages,' offered Harry 'and get yourself smartened up, I trust that you can still find your way to Thames House?'

Despite all their efforts, the day ended with no further clue to where Connie had gone or why, other than to escape what had started as house arrest and was now a life in prison.

Ros had demanded that they all go home and get a good night's sleep but Harry and Ruth were still on the grid. This needs to be sorted she thought as she wandered over to Ruth's desk and sat down.

'I don't do diplomacy as you know, so this is what is going to happen. My first priority is to keep you safe. I got it wrong the last time and having Harry kill me if I mess up again is not high on my wish list. Safe houses aren't an option, so you either come home with me or go and stay with Harry. It's an easy choice from where I'm sitting so go and tell him and get yourselves home.'

John, Harry's driver had first driven them to Ruth's house so that she could collect a few things which of course included Fidget. John hadn't made any comment it wasn't his place to do so, besides which he had got himself into trouble once before where these two were concerned and his boss had been very generous and had given him a second chance. Added to which, he liked Miss Evershed, she cared about everyone, but none the less this was a very strange situation. Having arrived at Harry's house he unloaded her case and carried it to the door and then waited until they were both safely inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry carried Ruth's bags upstairs and put them in the spare bedroom. Even though she hadn't argued that she stay with him, he was painfully aware that her being in his house let alone staying there, was breaking new ground for both of them. Fortunately his housekeeper had been in the previous day so the kitchen and bathroom were clean and tidy. He had just dug out fresh towels for her and put them on her bed when he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see her standing in the doorway.

'I'll let you settle in, have a shower if you want to the bathroom's there,' he said pointing, 'I'm going downstairs to sort out some dinner.'

She looked so lost, childlike even, and it took all the willpower that he had to not step forward and hold her. All her recent confidence that had been so evident on the grid had seemingly gone, maybe this latest threat had in some way transported her back to the last time they had been in a similar situation. Connie or no Connie he would sort this out he needed her to believe that and besides which she was brilliant at her job and Ros would need her when they went back into work tomorrow.

Leaving her to either shower or not, he headed downstairs to his kitchen and regarded the contents of his fridge. Mrs Harrison had stocked it for him that morning so it wouldn't be a takeaway on Ruth's first night he thought with relief. He did little cooking as a rule but you could do anything with pasta and he had some vegetables and sauces. That and maybe a bottle of wine and perhaps Ruth might start to relax. He was laying the table and opening the wine when she walked in.

'Hi,' she said, startling him midway into opening a jar. She had showered and changed into black trousers and a long green sweater, certainly not the Ruth that he was used to on the grid.

'I feel dreadfully overdressed,' he answered with a grin, holding open his suit jacket in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. 'Pour yourself a glass of wine and keep an eye on the dinner would you, I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Fifteen minutes later with Harry now dressed suitably casually as well, they were sitting with their meal in front of them and a second glass of wine poured. Despite the serious situation that had led to her being here, he was happy. She was here in his house, they had shared a meal together and later on that evening they would climb the stairs to bed.

Ruth had been looking at Harry minus his tie, her mind heading into what were for her dangerous waters. She looked down at Fidget who was curled up in his bed next to Scarlet, just as he must have been during the time that she had been away. It was so easy for pets she mused they didn't have to have conversations about love and sleeping arrangements. Still she was in Harry's house and she was going to sleep here, he had promised to look after her and despite everything she felt safer than she had all day.

On the opposite side of the road, the two operatives that Ros had arranged to babysit for the first night had eaten their sandwiches and were chatting about their respective football teams. Neither of them took any notice of the elderly lady that tottered past their van, her oversized shopping bag apparently weighing her down. Neither did they see her increase her pace as she reached the corner and pull out her phone.

Having washed up together, Harry was now putting the plates and cutlery away as Ruth made them a cup of tea. They had avoided talking about work and certainly the current situation that they were in. He had talked about Catherine and how he hated the fact that she seemed to get herself into one scrape after another.

'A bit like me then,' said Ruth, smiling at him.

'No not at all like you,' he replied looking at her with the same deep intensity that always had her heart rate soaring. It was close to10pm and she had yawned.

'Bedtime,' he suggested 'you go on up and I'll be with you in a moment.'

As she made her way upstairs and into the bathroom, Harry checked all the windows and doors and double checked the alarm system. He glanced across the road at the van that was parked there, he could relax for a few hours before the search for Connie and her motives began again.

He could hear Ruth in her room so wandered along the corridor to say goodnight. He couldn't take advantage of the situation that they found themselves in, it would be highly unprofessional and besides it would be crossing a huge boundary. They had been out for a drink a couple of times in the past few weeks and he had given her a quick kiss goodnight, but to do so when she was just about to get into bed or maybe even in bed was breaking new ground. Despite the fact that he had loved her for years and longed for them to be together, he had so far behaved as a gentleman.

'Sleep well Ruth,' he called and then padded back towards his room.

It was the closest that they had ever been to each other under the same roof, closer even than at Havensworth. This wasn't a hotel with surveillance cameras and dozens of other people, they were alone in his house and she was in bed just metres away.

Ruth was now alone for the first time since she had walked onto that grid that morning when Harry had been forced to declare that they were more than just friends. With a sudden and overwhelming feeling of Déjà vu that had made her kiss him on the dockside all those years ago, she stepped totally out of character, pulled on her dressing gown and walked the short distance to his door.

Neither of them said anything, he just simply folded back the duvet and she slipped into bed beside him. Nestled in his arms and with the barriers now down, he kissed her. Two minutes later as she had finally relaxed she was asleep.

Ruth had come to his bed, her head was now resting against his shoulder and the scent of her freshly washed hair was in his face. This was more than enough for now he decided.

.

In a deserted farmhouse some 10 miles north of London, Connie James and her companion were still wide awake. They would have to re think their plan, but they were in no hurry.


	4. Chapter 4

When they walked onto the grid together the following morning there were no knowing looks or comments for which Harry was very grateful. Beth he noticed had been over and put her arm round Ruth in a show of support which in the past Jo would have done, he must remember to thank her later he thought. Ruth had brought him his morning coffee as she always did and had retreated to her desk and Ros meanwhile who had told everyone in no uncertain terms that she and Harry were not to be disturbed, was now sitting in his office.

Their plan was to break Harry's life into chapters where Connie had been present or perhaps had a connection. He realised that for the first time he would have to talk about the memories that still haunted his dreams, despite his attempts to lock them away. Ros sat and listened for what was the best part of an hour while he told her about the catalogue of things that he had seen and done in Northern Ireland. How he had watched his best friend tortured and killed and because of a pact that they had drawn up between them, he had been powerless to stop it. He talked about the joint op when he and Connie had set up Davie King's father and of the endless other despicable and shameful things that had enabled them to finally bring the IRA to its knees. Connie had been there the whole time but as far as he knew, she had been loyal to their cause.

In Germany where in their spare time, he and Hugo Prince had conceived sugarhorse. How when they had searched Connie's house recently, she had denied all knowledge and had lied about the relationship that she had obviously had with Hugo.

The one thing that he had never talked about to anyone was his relationship with Ruth. During the time leading up to and during her exile, Adam and possibly Jo had been the only people who had come close to making him open up. His feelings and the never wavering love that he felt for her were as strong as it had ever been, but until the moment that he found the courage to tell her, they were his and his alone.

This was Ros and the circumstances that they found themselves in, dictated that she needed to hear something. He kept it simple and touched briefly on the moments over the years when the dynamic of his and Ruth's relationship had changed.

'What I will say,' he said 'watching Ruth sail away on that barge was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that it never happens again.'

'Right then, we had better make sure that it doesn't,' said Ros 'but right now, I need to go out and I'm taking Dimitri with me.'

Ten minutes later they were on their way to the spot where she and Lucas had left Connie. The entrance to the tunnel had been sealed, so in effect the crime scene was undisturbed. Dimitri was an expert in all things bomb related and she hoped that there might be an off chance that he might spot something that she or maybe Lucas had missed.

Harry meanwhile was feeling almost redundant as he sat reading and signing off the huge pile of reports that had accumulated on his desk, most of them delivered by Ruth. He had little appetite for the mundane and needed a break so decided to make a visit to the archives and see how Beth was doing.

During the time that Harry and Ros had been locked in his office, Ruth had been sitting at her desk and attempting to work. It had proved virtually impossible to concentrate and concerned that Ros would catch her staring, she had taken herself off to the kitchen and was making tea. Miles away, she was daydreaming about the previous night and how it had felt to be in Harry's bed and the fact that he had kissed her, finally breaking down the stupid barrier that she had previously erected between them. Providing that they managed to keep work and home separate, well as much as you could do and that they didn't become the object of office gossip as had been the case when Zaf had opened a book as to will they won't they, then she would be fine. Stretching up to reach her mug from the shelf above the sink, she felt somewhat unnerved as a pair of arms obviously Harry's circled her waist.

'I'll have a coffee please,' he whispered in her ear, so much for work and home she thought. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't. As he pulled her back towards him she closed her eyes and leaned into him as he buried his face in her hair. It was totally inappropriate behaviour at work she knew that, but in the circumstances she relished it. As the presence and warmth of him seeped into her skin and she started to relax she could feel both his and her body starting to respond.

'Not here Harry,' she told him as she reluctantly pulled away.

'I'm on my way to see how Beth's getting on,' he said 'if needs be, we'll get some help from another section, but I just needed to see you first.'

'Me too,' she called as he turned and walked away.

Beth was doing better than she had expected and had already sorted through the relevant files on Northern Ireland. She had highlighted names and dates of any incidences when Harry had been working with Connie, she was new and she was eager to impress. Apart from Harry's friend who had been murdered, the only other name that popped up on a regular basis was someone called Davie King. There was a huge file on his exploits some of which beggared belief. He had murdered civilians indiscriminately almost as a hobby, all because his father had been killed. Feeling pleased that she had a least got one section out of the way, she turned her attention to Germany.

Connie had drawn the shabby curtains across the window in the less than salubrious room where she and her companion were preparing their meal.

'We hadn't bargained on her staying with him,' she said, 'it changes everything.'

'Not at all,' was the reply, 'we continue to track them, he can't keep an eye on her all the time and when he's not doing his Sir Galahad impressions, we make our move.'


	5. Chapter 5

Harry's exploits in Germany had possibly been more colourful thought Beth as she read transcripts about the time he had been in Berlin. He and Hugo Prince had been close friends, sent on what turned out to be a tediously boring Op. Spare time seemed to feature highly in the report but quite what they had done with all this time wasn't clear. Yet again Connie had been there as had someone called Juliet Shaw, although that appeared to have been during a side step visit to Paris. Harry had been a lot younger then and based on what she herself did to fill the long boring evenings and if she were lucky enough nights, he might well have made hay. What the hell did it matter, you were only young once so good luck to him. She was intrigued though because she had heard Ros mention the name Juliet Shaw which implied she was still around. Quite who she was or what if anything she had meant to Harry it didn't say, not that it mattered now as he and Ruth were obviously together.

Ros and Dimitri arrived at the still closed tube station and headed down the silent escalator, where only two days ago Lucas had thought that he was going to die. It was eerily quiet and their voices echoed with every step that they took. Reaching the place where she had last seen Connie, Ros recalled the moment that she had told her and Lucas to go as the countdown on the bomb had accelerated. That she had fooled them, more than annoyed her but that little fact she kept to herself.

What she had so far seen of Dimitri she liked, he had a self - assured arrogance about him which reminded her of her younger self, before the scars from years in the service had more often than not, left her frustrated. He appeared to be enjoying himself as he unpicked the various mechanisms that in essence made this an elaborate toy. It was interesting to see such an old casing, he said which would have been hard to get hold of and suggested that she had had help from someone with access to bomb making components. Packing the various parts, the tool kit and the still almost full bottle of gin into bags, they rang the grid and asked that they be collected. Retracing the steps that she, Lucas and Connie had taken just two days earlier, they resurfaced in the centre of the city, still at a loss as to where Connie had gone.

It was early afternoon when Lucas and Alec White emerged onto the grid and walked straight into Harry's office.

'Who the hell's that?' Beth asked Ruth, as they walked past her desk.

'I guess we're just about to find out,' answered Ruth as Harry emerged and shouted 'meeting room five minutes,' to no one in particular.

Having got the introductions out of the way, Alec sat down at the head of the table.

'We need a plan,' he said at which point Beth who had spent the last four hours trawling through paperwork, was minded to tell him that he was stating the obvious. 'Connie or whoever she is working with will show their hand sooner rather than later, so we can either wait until that happens or we can find a way to draw her out.' There was a pause during which time he glanced at the file in front of him and then to everyone's surprise, indicated towards Ruth.

'Absolutely not,' said Harry banging his fist on the table, whilst there were general mutterings and then a full blown, 'who is this idiot?' from Beth.

In any other circumstances, Harry would have quite likely given Beth a bollocking but in this instance apart from glaring at Alec with his 'do you want to be taken out and shot face' he gave no indication as to why he had rejected his idea of using Ruth as bait. As the others shuffled in their seats and Ruth tried to look anywhere but at Harry, Alec continued.

'Right then, we need to find her motive which in turn should lead us to the person or people she is working with. I need to know everything that there is to know about Connie James down to the minutest detail from the time she joined the service until now, which I gather means that you and I will be seeing quite a lot of each other,' he said, smiling at Beth.

'Aren't I the lucky one,' said Beth to Ruth as they filed out of the room.

Back down in the archives a now fully concentrating Alec was looking for leads in the files that Beth had already highlighted, whilst she had moved on to the more recent past and opened a file labelled Cotterdam Prison. Christ, she said to herself as she realised that she was now privy to what had happened in the last the last four years and the truth about the relationship between Harry and Ruth. As she read on she began to comprehend just how deep their feelings had always been for each other and why Harry was so protective of her now. There was no mention of Connie or any connection to her, so feeling the overwhelming desire to keep this particular information away from the idiot with whom she was now sharing a room, she put it to the bottom of the pile.

Tariq and Malcolm had taken a much needed break and were in the kitchen making everyone a cup of tea whilst Ros and Dimitri were huddled round Lucas's desk discussing the day's events and more worryingly the lack of progress.

Ruth was again in Harry's office and having first berated him for being so hard on Alec had conceded that he was right. Suggesting that she should be bait to lure Connie was probably a good idea, but she was an analyst not a field agent and her track record to date, was laughable to say the least.

With the clock now showing 6pm, Harry told them all to go home. It had been a long and fruitless day and everyone was bone tired. Hopefully with Alec now on board, tomorrow they would get the breakthrough that they needed.

Telling Ruth that John would be picking them up in ten minutes time, he cleared his desk, put on his coat and gloves and for the first time that day looked forward to sharing another evening and night with Ruth.


	6. Chapter 6

The evening had been much the same as the last, although this time there had been no awkwardness and no discussion as to where Ruth would sleep. As difficult as it was for him to remain restrained, Harry was mindful of the fact that Ruth would not have been in his house, never mind his bed had her life not been in danger. The comfort that they had both shared from the cuddle and kiss the previous evening had relaxed them both, but this was Ruth and his greatest fear was that she would run a mile if he were to tell her that he wanted more. Not only that, his body was already responding to the nearness of her so with a supreme effort he rolled onto his back and whispered goodnight. Ruth, who had rolled over with him, had her head on his shoulder, her hand around his waist and was fully aware of his growing erection. Equally frustrated by the stirring in her own body that he had created, she was willing him to do more than just kiss her. Had one or the other of them had the courage to do or even say something, they would have both slept far better than they had.

Now sitting in the back of his car, John was driving them first to Whitehall, where Harry had a meeting with the Home Secretary before taking Ruth to Thames House.

'See you soon,' Harry said squeezing her hand, before telling John that he should park the car and then walk with Ruth until she was inside the building before returning to collect him in an hour. 'I'm not over reacting,' he added, as Ruth raised her eyebrows, 'Connie is bloody dangerous.'

Ros was sitting in the meeting room with Alec and Lucas forming a strategy for the day which included tracking down the whereabouts of the people that Alec had listed. Having lost track of the time, they were busy chatting when the door opened and an anxious looking Malcolm stepped inside.

'Shouldn't Ruth be here by now?' he asked looking directly at Ros who after looking at her watch was out of her chair and heading for the door, shouting at the others to get a move on.

'No don't ring Harry, not yet anyway, he's with the Home Secretary. It might just be a traffic problem but put a trace on his car and see where it is,' she told a now panicking Malcolm.

Five minutes later with their worst fears confirmed, they were in the underground car park with Lucas ringing for an ambulance as Alec bent over the unconscious John. Ros who had screamed as loud as she had the night after Adam had been killed, was saying a silent prayer as she dialled Harry's number.

Harry had been updating the Home Secretary about the Connie situation but had so far managed to avoid mentioning Ruth. His dislike of politicians meant that he usually avoided trips to Whitehall like the plague, but after two days confined to barracks as it were, he was quite glad of the break. Looking at his watch and seeing that he had at least another fifteen minutes before John would be collecting him he accepted the offer of coffee.

'Excuse me Home Secretary,' he said getting up and turning away to answer Ros's call.

He froze, literally, as fear engulfed him. Shaking his head, he pulled himself together and without turning back to face the now confused Home Secretary, he raced to the door. Now out of the building he paced up and down frantically waiting for a taxi to appear as his imagination ran riot as to where Ruth might be and whether or not she was hurt. Berating himself yet again, he imagined scenario after scenario of dreadful possibilities. He had seen every form of torture that one human being could inflict upon another and had been subjected to almost all of them himself over the years. Ruth was mentally tough, it was one of the things that he loved about her, but this was different and she would never survive if she was subjected to real physical pain. With his panic levels rising even higher he was finally in a taxi and heading back to Thames House.

Ros had given all but Alec and Malcolm jobs that would take them away from the grid. She needed space preferably without an audience when Harry got back. She had seen him the first time that he had lost Ruth and that had been bad enough, but the fact that this time she was quite likely in the hands of a desperate Connie hell bent on revenge, would in all likelihood send him spiralling over the edge. That she had been the one to ring Mace which had resulted in them being apart for the best part of three years was not something that she should be concentrating on now, but none the less it was uppermost in her mind.

Dimitri had headed down to the carpark to join Lucas who had stayed with John until the ambulance had arrived and was now examining the car and the surrounding area. She had sent Tariq and Beth into the technical suite to examine the CCTV from the time that Harry's car had left Whitehall with Ruth on board until it had been driven into the carpark.

Left alone with Alec and Malcolm, Ros felt slightly calmer. If Alec was as good at getting into the head of lunatics as Harry had led her to believe, then she needed him to be on top form when a demand came in, as surely it would. She'd asked Malcolm who was not only Harry's closest friend but was the best option she had, to analyse and collate any information that the others phoned in. With these two now working together in the meeting room, she sat alone on the grid and waited.

On endless occasions she had watched Harry apparently unmoved by the never ending loss to which they were subjected, but as she knew only too well, this was something that he had trained himself to do. Pouring him a glass of whisky, she gave him an update from the moment that they had found John until now, detailing exactly what everyone was doing as they tried to piece together what had happened from the moment that Ruth had arrived back at Thames House.

For the first time ever, Ros realised the sheer depth of his feelings for Ruth. Throughout the entire time that she spoke, he sat unmoving and just gazed at her desk.

'Harry,' she said when he finally turned back to look at her, 'we will find her.'


	7. Chapter 7

Ruth woke feeling thirsty, disorientated and very cold. She was lying on a dirty mattress with a pillow that smelt musty and was covered with what felt like a thin blanket. As she slowly came round and her memory resurfaced, the realisation as to what must have happened to her dawned. The last thing that she could remember was walking towards the car park lift and John telling her that he was going back for Harry, after which it was a blank. Where she was or how long she had been here was impossible to tell so she tried to focus on the only thing that she could, which was the room she was now in. As her eyes became more accustomed to the light, she could make out a wardrobe and what appeared to be some sort of cupboard although where she was she had no idea.

Fighting the urge to cry, she turned her thoughts to Harry and how worried he would be. She knew that he would be panicking and probably shouting at everyone as they tried to find out what had happened to her. It wasn't his fault that she was here but she could imagine him apologising and insisting that it was. Curling herself into a ball in an effort to keep warm, she closed her eyes tight and transported herself back to the two nights that she had been in his bed. They had come so close to that blissful moment that she and she knew he had for so long dreamed about. This couldn't be the end she had to believe that, despite the fact that yet again someone was determined to keep them apart.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs and of a key being turned in the lock. Feeling herself shiver, she wondered if she could pretend to be asleep.

* * *

Tariq and Beth watched the footage of John's car pulling into the car park and after that there was nothing. Outside, the CCTV showed several vehicles heading east towards the roundabout none of which were going at speed. However in the opposite direction, whoever was driving a black SUV was clearly exceeding the limit. Enhancing the image, they traced the car as having been hired on the Edgware Road the previous day. This suggested that whoever the driver was would be heading back in that direction and probably onto the north circular. It wasn't much but it was a start and when they linked the grid to security cameras along that route, they had two positive sightings before the car disappeared in a northerly direction on the outskirts of London. Getting hold of the CCTV on major roads to the north was there only chance of following the car and Beth was already talking to Police Forces.

By now, Harry and Ros had joined Alec and Malcolm in the meeting room as they poured over the files and more importantly the list of names that Beth had supplied. Alec was extremely astute and good at what he did and Harry was way past caring what he did or didn't ask him about his former life. He was trying hard to concentrate on the whys and wherefores, which was almost impossible when his thoughts were entirely about Ruth and his desperate need to find her.

'This plan or whatever you like to call it has been long in the making and I'm absolutely sure that this isn't just about Connie,' said Alec. 'She knows that she can't get away and that she'll either be locked up for life or she'll end up dead, so there has to be someone else involved who has just as big an axe to grind.'

He bypassed the files on Northern Ireland explaining that as far as he could see, Connie had been as equally committed to the cause as Harry. She had also been on the most recent Op when Davie King had resurfaced, but mercifully he was out of the equation. Turning his attention to the time that Harry and Connie had been in Germany with Hugo Prince which was when Sugarhorse had been conceived, he looked directly at Harry.

'Evidence seems to point to the fact that as far back as that, Connie was already a double agent. The fact that you exposed her as a traitor, on the face of it explains her desire for revenge. However without Ros picking up on your renaissance comment, she might well be on her way to Russia right now which brings me to the question, who else have you upset?'

Leaving Harry pondering the probable length of the list, Alec opened the Cotterdam file. Names from the here and now jumped off the page and as far as Alec was concerned answered the one question that he had yet to ask Harry, which was why Ruth?

'Right,' he said, 'now I see why you're all worried about Oliver Mace, but before we go any further I need to know everything that there is to know about Cotterdam and the sequence of events that led up to Ruth being exiled.'

Harry kept it brief, explaining how he had finally plucked up the courage to ask Ruth out to dinner but that the gossip that it had generated in the section had caused Ruth to backtrack and end any chance of a continued relationship. It didn't change how either of them felt about each other he knew that, but the fact that he hadn't made an effort to get her to change her mind was one of his greatest regrets.

To give her credit, Ros told it as it was, including how Ruth had been set up and accused of murder because Harry had refused to bend to pressure and had determined to uncover the truth as to what had happened at the prison. How Adam and Zaf had arranged and faked her death and how Harry had identified her body. She went on to talk about her regrets that she had been responsible for it happening and the guilt that she still felt.

Moving on, she talked about her own exile to Russia after her involvement with Yalta and how Adam had saved her life by substituting the drug that Juliet Shaw had injected. It was at a time when Ruth was still away and with the need for an analyst, Connie had been persuaded to come back to the section. It was during this time that Harry had been awarded a knighthood and Connie had volunteered to accompany him to the Palace.

'Are we talking about the same Juliet Shaw that was in Paris at the same time as you and Connie?' asked Alec turning to Harry, 'and if so, where is she now?'

'As far as we know, she was despatched to far distant climes after Yalta,' said Harry, 'surely you're not suggesting that she could be involved in this?'

'Two women you got the better of old son, one of which turned up years later to find that you've moved on to a younger model,' said Alec. 'Besides which, she failed in her attempt to kill Ros which tells me that Juliet Shaw is up to her neck in this, just as much as Connie is.'

'Say something,' he continued to the three now horrified faces that were staring at him.

* * *

Ruth had decided that she might feel less vulnerable if she sat up. Besides which, if she was about to die she was determined to try and look brave. Struggling to control her breathing and stay calm, she turned and faced the person who was walking across the room towards her. Any hope of disguising how she felt was impossible as she came face to face with her worst nightmare.

Alec had got it right, it wasn't Oliver Mace.


	8. Chapter 8

Ros called the team back together and introduced Alec to those who had yet to meet him. Taking a back seat, Harry motioned to him to start the meeting. Alec explained that during the time that he had worked for MI5 he had worked for IA and as such had spent most of his working life analysing the minds of border line criminals to the criminally insane. They needed to forget the Connie that they had once known and focus on the person she was now, determined to get revenge for the fact that Harry had exposed her as a Russian Spy. Letting her go had given her the chance to escape and her ability to call up other Russian agents to chase them through the underground tunnels to Liverpool Street was a carefully staged performance. The fact that she had vast experience in bomb making had made it easy to construct the bomb and to convince both Ros and Lucas that it was real. The call to the Russians to stand down which appeared to have saved Lucas's life, was again part of her plan. What they couldn't be sure about was what she intended to do now, although the fact that she in all probability was the person who had snatched Ruth, he assumed that sooner rather than later Harry would receive a call.

'She cannot working alone, and at this stage I am of the firm belief that her accomplice in this is Juliet Shaw who used to work at six and who a few years ago attempted to murder Ros,' he concluded.

* * *

At this point Ros stood up and explained to a stunned meeting room, exactly how Juliet had attempted to kill her. Had Adam not intervened she said she would have undoubtedly have been dead.

'In view of what I have told you, the need to find Ruth quickly is critical. We need to check the area in a 20 mile radius from the last sighting of the car. Empty buildings large and small, warehouses, office blocks, houses and barns we check each and every one. Work in pairs, no mistakes. Ruth's life is in the balance here, so get to it.'

With their colleagues now huddled round computer screens, Alec and Malcolm were searching for any information that would lead them to Juliet Shaw. Records showed that after Yalta she had been shipped off to South America but hadn't been seen or heard of since.

Sitting with a now completely distraught Harry, Ros made an attempt to break the silence.

'They're a good team Harry and they all care about Ruth. Neither of you deserve to be going through this all over again, so I promise you that once this is over, providing that I don't kill her myself that Juliet Shaw will have the same ignominious future as that idiot Blake had lined up for you.'

Their quiet moment was interrupted by a shout from Tariq who had been checking the CCTV for airport arrivals. Sure enough and despite the fact that she had made every effort to blend in with the other passengers, they watched Juliet Shaw as she arrived at Heathrow three days earlier. They had got a breakthrough.

* * *

Ruth sat motionless on the bed and stared unbelieving and with a rapidly growing sense of fear at a smiling Juliet Shaw. Pulling the blanket more tightly around her, she tried her best to control not only her breathing but her body that was now visibly shaking. She had been expecting Connie or maybe even Mace, but to be confronted by the woman who had known Harry more intimately than she ever had and quite probably ever would, left her in no doubt that she was about to be taunted before whatever else was to come. All the bravado that she had shown on the grid when Harry had been suspended and Juliet had been in charge had been just that. Deep down she had always hated Juliet and the way that she seemed to be able to manipulate Harry. In truth, she had and always had been frightened of her as well. With all hope gone that she would ever see Harry again and desperately fighting to control the tears that were threatening to fall, she took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable.

'Well isn't this cosy,' said a leering Juliet, 'what do you suppose we should talk about, Harry perhaps?

Disassociate yourself, think about something else thought Ruth, which was all well and good in theory, but virtually impossible when you tormentor was talking about the one person that you so desperately wanted to think about.

For what seemed like an eternity and during which time Ruth covered her face and struggled not to cry, Juliet described in lurid detail the sex in which she and Harry had supposedly indulged. It was a Harry fuelled with lust and a one track mind which Juliet had seemingly enjoyed for the entire two weeks that they had been in Paris together. Never once though throughout her vile revelations did she ever suggest that Harry had loved her and it was this that Ruth clung to and became her mantra. Finally, just as she was about to plead with her to stop, Juliet pulled out her phone.

'I think it's about time we called him,' she said 'and then we can all have a nice little chat.'

She left the room for about five minutes and Ruth could hear her talking to someone, after which she came back into the room and dialled.

'I believe you've mislaid someone,' said Juliet,' but I have good news for you, she's here with me.'

'Let me speak to her,' said Harry, trying desperately to sound calm and fully aware that to be aggressive would only make the situation worse.

'She's a plucky little thing, but I'm not sure that she'll want to speak to you after the little chat we've just had,' said Juliet handing over the phone.

'Harry', was all Ruth managed, trying her best to avoid looking at Juliet.

'Ruth, has she hurt you?' He said in a voice that he hoped was reassuring and didn't portray his fear.

'I'm fine,' answered Ruth, 'and no not yet, although I'm not sure how much longer it will be before that happens.' Fine she certainly wasn't but it was instinct to say it.

'I'll find you I promise,' was all he managed before the line went dead.

* * *

He had no sooner put the phone down before it rang again, but this time Connie was the voice at the other end.

'What the hell do you want?' Harry snapped as Ros indicated for him to put the phone on loud speaker. 'If either you or Juliet lay a hand on Ruth, I'll bloody kill you myself.'

'What I want is for you to shut up and listen,' said Connie as she went on to explain the impossible choice that he now had to make.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry and Ros sat with an ever growing sense of horror as Connie unveiled her plan. She was a traitor with no desire to spend the rest of her life in prison so was quite happy to die. She was going to blow herself up in one of London's squares at precisely midnight and at exactly the same time, Juliet would kill Ruth. She would ring him at eleven pm and tell him either the name of the square or the address at which Ruth was being held, giving him and him alone the chance to be at one or the other. If he chose to try and save Ruth then dozens of people would die, if he chose to come to the square then it would be Ruth that he would lose. Any sign of other colleagues or CO19 and she and Juliet would execute both plans.

'They're bloody lunatics, it's not a case of one or the other it's both,' said Ros to an ashen faced Harry as she leapt to her feet and headed back onto the grid.

'Find that bloody car or we lose Ruth,' she yelled at Malcolm and Tariq, 'everyone else, meeting room now.'

Standing at the head of the table, she took a deep breath and formulated her plan.

'Harry won't be going anywhere, but he will tell Connie that he is going to the square. Dimitri and I with the help of CO19 will eliminate Connie. Lucas and Beth will go to wherever Juliet is holding Ruth and extract her. If it means killing Juliet so be it. It will be exactly five minutes to midnight when we will strike.'

She tried and of course failed to persuade a now apoplectic Harry to agree to stay on the grid. After a short debate, she agreed that he could go with Lucas and Beth but that he must promise to hold back until they were sure that Ruth was safe.

* * *

It was an agonising half hour later when they got the breakthrough that they needed. Tariq had finally traced the car. It was parked at the end of a narrow road that led to what appeared to be a deserted farmhouse. Access looked good and assuming that there were no outside cameras, they would be able to drive all but the last quarter mile after which they would have to go on foot. As yet they had no sightings of Connie, but Alec suggested that for maximum impact she would go for one of the major squares to gain worldwide news coverage.

Tariq and Malcolm sat with a list of London squares in front of them, slowly eliminating those that were small, were full of office blocks and those with high buildings on all four sides. They had got the list down to four but the most likely they thought was either Leicester which would be full of people as they left theatres or Trafalgar which was always full of people many of whom were tourists.

Lucas and Beth were mapping the quickest route to Ruth's location and organising firearms, blankets and medical supplies and had spoken to the ambulance service in anticipation that Juliet and more importantly Ruth would need treatment. It was a hostage situation they told them and on no account were they come within a mile of the place until they got a call.

Ros and Dimitri now fully armed and kitted out in bullet proof vests were studying models of both squares as was Michael who with only half an hour to spare, had been recruited from Section E as Harry's double. They were taking a huge risk but were banking on two factors. Firstly that Connie's eyesight was poor and it wouldn't be until Michael was within forty yards that she would realise that it wasn't Harry and secondly that it would distract her for the instant that it took for CO19 to take the shot.

* * *

Harry despite the urge to tell Ros that he was still nominally the boss, had given in to her demands and was sitting on his sofa with his eyes shut, doing his best to eliminate the nightmare that was engulfing him. Everything depended on Connie believing the lie he was about to tell her, that he was coming to the square and was prepared to sacrifice Ruth. At exactly 11pm his phone rang.

'Well, what a surprise,' said Connie, as she gave him the location where she would be at midnight, 'and here was me hoping that just for once, the great Harry Pearce would be faithful to a woman.'

The farmhouse they already knew about, the square was Trafalgar and within minutes, two cars were racing out of Thames House car park and CO19 were on their way. Alec had stayed on the grid and was linked via comms to Ros as Malcolm who sat in front of his computer screen was covering all angles of Trafalgar Square. Tariq who was linked to Lucas was trained on the road leading to the farmhouse, and once they arrived would be able to help them gain access.

Even at that late hour Trafalgar Square was packed with people, more in fact than Connie had expected. Her plan to kill herself, Harry and a large number of innocent civilians looked easily achievable but what she hadn't anticipated, Alec had. The combination of a dark and cloud filled night sky, the bright lights throughout the square and the fountains in each corner created a glare which made it difficult to distinguish faces. You certainly couldn't see the rooftops of the surrounding buildings and CO19 had been in place even before she arrived.

It was precisely eleven fifty when Ros and Dimitri got the call from Alec to say that Connie was walking away from the east corner in the direction of Nelson's column. She had stopped and was scanning the area presumably in an effort to spot Harry.

'You're on,' whispered Ros to Michael, 'now remember what we said. When you're into the square walk slowly, pause every now and again as though you're searching for someone and when you get the word which will be forty yards before you reach Connie, stand absolutely still. When you see Dimitri and me on either side of Connie it will be job done, which is when you go back to the grid.'

Alec and Malcom watched what was a copy book execution of an Op. Michael, who all but the fact that he was slightly taller than Harry looked remarkably like the man himself did exactly what Ros had told him up until the moment when CO19 took the shot and Ros and Dimitri stepped in.


	10. Chapter 10

It was a pitch black night with a real dampness hanging in the air as Lucas parked the car in the entrance to a field alongside the small team from CO19. A mile back from where they now stood, an emergency ambulance and two paramedics sat waiting for their call. Without the aid of their night vision glasses, it would have been impossible to see and to make the quick progress that they needed, along what was a very high hedged and narrow lane. There was no other means by which they could reach the front of the house and they had had to gamble that there were no cameras to observe them. Juliet had already attempted to kill Ros in way that was burned into Harry's memory and the thought that she would do the same to Ruth was terrifying him. As he, Lucas and Beth crept ever nearer CO19 fanned out across the fields and were surrounding the house on the other three sides. A message from Tariq had told them that in addition to the front door, there appeared to be a second door to the right hand side of the property and that the only light that was on, was in a room at the back on the first floor. Apart from that they were working blind, with less than fifteen minutes in which to reach the house, gain access without being heard and save Ruth.

During the journey there, Lucas had reiterated what Ros had said that no matter what happened Harry should not get involved until Juliet had been eliminated. It wasn't a large house and the chances were that there was only one staircase which was quite probably narrow. The plan was that he and Beth would approach the room via the stairs whilst the hired help as he called them would gate crash the party via the roof, but only if they got his call. Harry knew it made sense, it was years since he had been an active field operative and he wasn't as fit as he used to be, besides which his desire to save Ruth no matter what the cost was overwhelming and if he ended up getting himself shot in the process, then he'd be no use to her whatsoever.

'Keep you head old man.' Malcolm had said to him as they left, 'we need you both safe when this is over.'

No more holding back, no more denial of his feelings, he was not going to let her down this time he kept telling himself.

* * *

Ruth who was now tied to the bedhead with what felt like cable ties had got to the point where any fight that she had once had, was completely gone. She was hypothermic, totally dehydrated and barely conscious. She tried to picture Harry, the one she loved and the one that loved her, not the Harry that Juliet had so cruelly described. She saw his face which lit up when he smiled at her, his eyes that made her heart rate rocket and her speech falter and how it had felt to fall asleep in his arms which by now felt more like a dream than reality. Through the fog that was now enveloping her she watched Juliet appearing to get more and more agitated, until in the background she heard a phone rang and Juliet laugh.

'No surprise there,' she said 'and you're sure he's not coming here?'

'Absolutely, I can see him,' were the last words that Juliet heard, as turning her back on the door she put her hand in her pocket and walked towards Ruth.

* * *

Outside on the landing, Lucas and Beth crept ever nearer to the door. Information from CO19 had been relayed to them by Tariq and they now knew the layout of the room. Ruth was lying on a bed against the far wall directly in front of the door. A second person presumably Juliet was pacing the room from left to right, which meant that there was a fair chance that if they could go through the door almost simultaneously, that one or the other of them would be able to get a clear shot. They were now in place and with one minute to go before the five minute to midnight deadline, Lucas nodded to Beth and raised his gun.

At the bottom of the stairs Harry stood waiting, his hands gripping the banisters and his heart hammering in his chest. A huge crash a single shot and then what sounded like breaking glass had him taking the stairs at a run as Juliet fell to the floor at precisely the same moment that Ros and Dimitri reached Connie.

Beth was ringing for the ambulance and Lucas was telling CO19 to stand down, but Harry heard nothing of what was going on in the background. Having frantically cut the cable ties that had been round Ruth's wrists he had rolled her onto her side and was pleading for her to wake up as he cradled her apparently lifeless body in his arms. The thundering of footsteps on the stairs announced the arrival of the paramedics who having bundled Harry out of the way, had in minutes connected Ruth to a drip, an oxygen mask and had double wrapped her in thermal blankets.

'Go,' said Lucas to Harry as Ruth was lifted into the ambulance, 'we'll deal with the rest.'

During the half hour ride to the hospital, Ruth drifted in and out of either consciousness or sleep, Harry didn't know which. Her breathing was slowly becoming less laboured but the colour of her cheeks was still a deathly white.

'Talk to her sir,' said the paramedic sitting next to him as he watched him stroking her hair.

* * *

It was a further two days in the critical care unit before Ruth's doctor told Harry that she was out of danger and another two days before he told him that he could take her home. During all that time, apart from going to the hospital canteen for a meal each evening, he had never left her side. Malcolm had been to his house and brought him changes of clothing and a wash bag whilst Beth had brought pyjamas and some toiletries for Ruth. For almost all of that time, firstly with the aid of sedatives and later because of sheer exhaustion, Ruth had slept. It was the best medicine her nurse had told him.

'Why don't you go home sir and get a good night's sleep,' she had suggested on the second evening, but one look at Harry's face had told her she might just as well have asked him to jump off the roof. In the end, she had opened the door to the adjoining room but doubted that he had ever slept there. Every time she had looked in, he was asleep in a chair with his hand in hers and his head resting on her bed.

'Lucky girl,' she said to herself as she wrapped a blanket round him and quietly closed the door.

It was on the fourth morning on the day when Ruth was due to go home, that she woke first. It was still dark outside but in the dim lighting of her room, the face that she had last seen sleeping on a pillow in Harry's bedroom was once again next to hers. He was in a deep and more peaceful sleep than she had ever seen and the feeling of pure joy that flooded through her was overwhelming. It was something that just a few days ago she had imagined would never happen and with the realisation as to how lucky she was, the tears finally fell.

Harry was on compassionate leave Ros told the Home Secretary, when she had arrived at the Home Office to brief him about the Op. They had eliminated two home grown traitors and yes, it had been done very discreetly.

Their colleagues had stayed away other than Beth who had been designated their only visitor. On returning to the grid, never once did she tell them anything other than the fact that Ruth was getting better. The absolute devotion and love for Ruth that she had seen radiating from Harry was theirs and theirs alone and it was not her place to gossip. She had read the file and if these two didn't make it after all that had happened to them then there was absolutely no justice in the world.


	11. Chapter 11

There had never been any doubt in either of their minds that Ruth going home had meant going home to Harrys. They both wanted it more than anything else and the fact that their colleagues all knew about it no longer mattered. Had things turned out differently, then Harry would have been attending her funeral and that thought alone had made him determined to make some changes in his life. He had spoken to Ros who had told him that his suggestion that Alec should stay on had been sanctioned and assured him that unless something monumental happened and she really needed his help, the DG was happy for he and Ruth to remain on leave until she was ready to return to work. In Harry's mind that meant never, but that was a conversation for another day. Picking up her small bag of belongings and with her hand now held firmly in his, they left the confines of the hospital and stepped out into the fresh air.

To anyone who hadn't been through an ordeal such as she had, Ruth would have appeared to be fine. Harry knew only too well, that victims of kidnap usually recovered reasonably easily, it was the psychological damage that took a whole lot longer or in some cases could be lasting. In her case, her pain was also his and no matter how long it took, he would be there for her. Knowing that they had the support of their colleagues made such a difference and if there was something that Ruth wanted to discuss that she wasn't able to with him, then despite the fact that she was relatively new and young as well, Beth would be the one that he would ring.

Opening his front door and heading straight to the kitchen to put the kettle on, he noticed how tidy and clean the place appeared to be. Mrs Harrison hadn't been due that week, so again he had their colleagues to thank for the fact that the house was warm and welcoming. There were flowers on the table with a note for Ruth and the fridge had been restocked. Taking their tea through to the lounge, he found her curled up with Scarlet and fast asleep. Deciding that he needed to be hands on right from the outset rather than they slip back into the formality, that they had previous endured, he picked up the throw from his armchair, covered her up and then curled up beside her. She shifted briefly as he sat down, sufficient for him to stretch full out and curl her into him. Within minutes all three of them were asleep.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Harry woke up, desperate to stretch his legs and in need of the loo. Ruth was still asleep so he wriggled himself to the side of the sofa and managed to stand up without waking her. Having carried Ruth's bag upstairs he went first to the bathroom where clean towels had been laid out for them both and then to the bedroom where the bed linen had been changed and their respective nightwear such as it was, was under their pillows. What he had never told anyone was that Ruth had been sharing his bed, but it seemed that Beth and Malcolm both of whom had been to the hospital to bring them a change of clothing, had decided that if they weren't already doing so, then it was time that they did. He was surprised at how liberated it made him feel that people knew about them after years of trying to pretend and if Ruth would accept the fact that they genuinely cared about them and that they weren't just the subject of water cooler gossip, then they might even be able to have some sort of social life that involved their colleagues. Feeling a lot better than he had for days, he went back downstairs and into his kitchen. Rifling through his fridge, he found a casserole ready to be heated with a note in Beth's handwriting telling them to enjoy their first evening at home. Harry's world suddenly felt brighter.

Ruth woke up completely unaware that she had been asleep for more than four hours. The first thing that she noticed was that Scarlet was curled up next to her, but there was no sign of Harry. Trying not to panic, she pulled herself up and headed in the direction of the music that was coming from his kitchen. Managing to open the door without him hearing her, she watched an apparently totally domesticated Harry dressed in jeans and with his shirt sleeves rolled up, peeling potatoes. The smell from whatever was currently in the oven was divine and had her wondering just how long she had been asleep and whether he had spent the entire time preparing dinner. The table was laid and he had a glass of wine on the counter beside him as he hummed in time to the music. Had she not felt so utterly scruffy and in need of a shower and a change of clothing, she would have walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist, but she had that clinical smell of hospitals on her skin and just wanted to go upstairs and get clean.

Harry however had no such qualms, as having heard the movement behind him he turned to see her watching him. Drying his hands on the nearest thing available that just happened to be a tea towel, he crossed to the door, put his arms round her and kissed her soundly.

'I feel horrid,' she said, 'I need a shower and to change, how long before dinner.'

'Take as long as you need,' he said, 'dinner will be ready when you are.'

* * *

The bathroom was warm and cosy, there were fluffy white towels on the rack and as the beautifully warm water cascaded down through her hair and down onto her body, she closed her eyes and relaxed. The shower gel was Harry's and she felt an immense sense of comfort as the smell that she knew and loved enveloped her. Half an hour later dressed in her new jeans a sweater and her favourite slippers, she walked back downstairs and into the kitchen.

'Feeling better?' he asked beaming at her as he got up from the table where he had been taking refuge. For the entire time that she had been upstairs he had let his imagination run away with him and imagined her naked and dripping with water from head to toe. The effect that it had created on his body had astounded him as having had what amounted to a monastic life for so many years he had got to the stage where he had begun to wonder if he would be able to perform. If just thinking about Ruth naked had had that effect, heaven knows how he would be able to control himself if and when she was actually naked in his bed.

Ruth had been having pretty much the same thoughts as he had, and as she soaped and washed herself she had imagined that it wasn't her hands but Harrys. The effect was climactic to such an extent that she realised just how much she wanted and needed sex with Harry.

As delicious as it was, they both struggled through dinner, the washing up and the hour on the sofa before it was time for bed. Neither had made any mention of their desires, both just hoping that they wouldn't be put through the agonies of another chaste night.


	12. Chapter 12

'You go on up, I'll just pop these in the kitchen and let Scarlet out,' said Harry with a gentle smile, as the clock on the TV news struck ten and tense atmosphere in the room went up a notch.

'See you in a moment then,' Ruth replied as she looked up at him. Her legs appeared to be failing her again and her breathing had increased as she wondered not for the first time, how on earth it was it possible that his eyes that were now burning into hers could have quite such an effect on her. Feeling the sudden need to get upstairs use the bathroom and be in bed before Harry got there, she gathered herself together, bolted for the stairs and into what was now _their_ bedroom.

Harry had seen her nervousness but he had also seen the desire. For years he had felt himself drowning whenever he had looked at her, so it came as no surprise as to how much it had affected his heartrate and his body as he felt the beginnings of an arousal. Until now, he had always maintained control, but recent circumstances had thrown them together and everything was about to change. His previous encounters with women hadn't required much thought, in fact even as far back as the time that he and Jane had first slept together it had been consensual to the point that they had ripped the others clothes off and the sex that had followed had been about as basic as it could be. How was it even possible he thought, to have experienced so much of life and not until he'd reached his fifties to be contemplating making love to someone that he was _truly_ _in love with?_

With Scarlet now settled in her bed beside the cats, he locked and secured the door and then walked back down the hall in the direction of the stairs.

Ruth had had a quick wash and cleaned her teeth and was now anxiously waiting for Harry to arrive. Deciding that he had probably seen her legs and quite possibly a good deal more when she had been in the hospital, she had thrown caution to the wind and wearing only her flimsiest of night ware, she was now in bed. Besides which if they were going to do what she hoped and prayed they would, then the time wasted and the embarrassment she would feel as they struggled with unnecessary clothes was pointless. With the bedside light still on, she was pondering as to whether she would have the pleasure of watching Harry undress, when the door opened and the man himself walked in wearing nothing but his shorts. Had she been able to or had the time, she would have perhaps closed her eyes but seconds later an all but naked Harry turned off the sidelight and climbed into bed beside her.

Neither of them said a word and in Ruth's case she couldn't, as the mattress dipped and a near naked Harry turned to face her. She just simply did what she had done on the previous occasions that she had been in his bed and inched herself closer. This time though it was different and with no thought of sleep in either of their minds and for first time ever, naked flesh touched naked flesh as their legs entwined. Moments later with the last items of their clothing abandoned at the foot of the bed, Harry's fingertips which had been gently caressing her face had moved across her shoulders and were teasing her breasts. It was incredibly arousing and unable to lie still any longer she joined him in silent exploration and moved her hands which had been on his chest, slowly downwards towards his abdomen. Needing to take charge of the situation and hopefully to slow things down, Harry rolled her onto her back and with the gentlest of smiles, he kissed her. Any preconceived ideas that he would be able to take his time were blown away as their kiss deepened and she moaned beneath him. Hands that had so far been reasonably contained moved lower as with all their inhibitions gone, they built each other closer and closer to a climax. The terrible memories of the past few days were replaced by the exquisite feeling that enveloped them, as he eased himself between her legs and finally made her his.

It had not been how he had planned it to be, it had been far too frantic and over far too quickly, but in the end he just hadn't been able to hold back. They were lying side by side still clinging to each other, damp and sated and he never wanted to let her go. He had almost screamed his release such was the overwhelming feeling of love that he had felt for her but instead he had told her in the height of passion that he loved her. Again, it was not at all what he had planned, but finally he had said it.

Ruth lay next to him, exhausted and more satisfied than she had ever felt in her life. It didn't matter that it had been over more quickly than she would have liked, she couldn't have held back if she had tried and in all honesty it had made it so much easier for their first time. Harry had told her that he loved her, did it matter that it hadn't been romantic but had been a breathless declaration as he crashed into her, no it didn't, they had all the time in the world for that.

'I love you too Harry,' she mumbled as she drifted into sleep.

Despite being tired and wonderfully content, he was unable to sleep. He lay marvelling at how lucky he was to have made it this far and to finally after all the years of torment to have Ruth safe and asleep in his arms. He knew only too well, that without the work of Ros, Alec and the rest of their colleagues, the outcome could have been so different. They had saved Ruth and ultimately him, because without her he would have been lost forever. In a few days, he would go into work and thank them, but before that he needed to talk to Ruth and see what she thought, it was their time now and he wanted them to move on.

Dipping his head slightly forward his buried his face in her hair and kissed her.

'I love Ruth Evershed,' he whispered, as he closed his eyes and with a sigh of deep contentment, he joined her in sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry had apparently been awake long before her, because when she had woken up and made her way to the bathroom, she had heard singing from downstairs and had smelt that first thing in the morning aroma of coffee. Smiling at the feeling of domesticity that it evoked in her, she had grabbed her dressing gown and padded downstairs in search of a cup of tea. Opening the kitchen door, she found a similarly clad Harry humming along to a song on the radio whilst he battled to separate the obviously too many items in his frying pan.

'Do you even know how bad that is for you?' she said before her brain engaged, as he dropped the spatula that he was holding and the frying pan wobbled violently.

'There are lots of things that are bad for me,' he replied with a smouldering look that had her hurrying for the teapot in an effort to gain control.

She refused his offer to share his breakfast and settled for some fruit and then toast, the latter of which he was now pinching from her plate, having cleared his own with gusto.

'I'm a new man,' he said as he poured her a second cup of tea, 'I need to keep my strength up.'

How on earth she thought, had she spent years refusing Harry Pearce who was effortlessly chatting her up, so raising her eyebrows she joined in the game.

'Define new?' she asked as she forced herself to maintain eye contact with his amber orbs.

* * *

Where this new found self confidence that Ruth was displaying had come from, Harry had no idea, but she had her sparkle back and he loved it. It reminded him of the early days when she used to battle with him in the meeting room, when Adam had still been alive and before Cotterdam. He had been in love with her even then and had envied Adam his ability to be so at ease with her, when he himself had been crippled with indecision. It felt like a lifetime ago and was yet another reminder of the years that had been lost to them.

'Penny for them,' she asked when he didn't answer her question and his expression changed, hoping against hope that it had nothing to do with the domestic bliss that she now found herself in.

'We need to talk,' he answered, saying exactly the same words that she had so often said to him. 'I really need to go into work in the next couple of days, so how about we go out for the day and maybe stay the night, somewhere quiet and away from London?'

A quick call to the grid ensured that Malcolm would collect Scarlet after work and take her home with him where he could guarantee she would be spoilt. As far as the cats were concerned, providing that they were left sufficient food and water, they would survive.

'Yes Malcolm, Ruth's absolutely fine, in fact we both are, we just fancy a change of scenery,' he said, in a voice that he hoped might imply the need for Malcolm to keep the information to himself.

* * *

An hour later, with the kitchen back to its pristine self and with a small overnight bag packed, they were heading out of London and on their way to Oxfordshire. Harry had booked a room in a small hotel where Adam and he had stayed a few years back when they had attended a seminar. It had been mind-blowingly boring, the only bonus being the cosy pub in the village where they had escaped to in the evenings. If Ruth wanted to eat somewhere less formal, then it would be the obvious place to go. From Ruth's point of view, anywhere would have done. The thought that she and Harry were going to spend the rest of the day and then night together somewhere remote and romantic, had her toes curling at the prospect.

For the hundred or so miles they chatted amicably about life in general, music and the many other things that they had always had in common. Just over two hours later, they pulled into the car park of a small village on the edge of Oxford in search of somewhere for a cup of tea and a snack. Despite his huge breakfast, Harry proclaimed that he was sure he could manage a sandwich. The normality of what they were doing wasn't lost on either of them, nor was the fact that they had achieved it. With her arm now tucked firmly in his, they wandered along a pavement full of locals and tourists, none of whom could have imagined in their wildest dreams the story that these two could tell. The sun was shining albeit weakly as they crossed the village green in the direction of a teashop.

* * *

'Mr and Mrs Harrison,' said Harry as the receptionist at the hotel, looked them up and down and then asked him to sign the register. 'I stayed here a few years ago with a colleague and promised Rachel that if we ever came to the area, that I would bring her here,' he said with such ease, that Ruth got a stark reminder as to what he did for a living.

Besides which, she'd never been out with anyone who had wanted to take her to a hotel and apart from the three nights when they had stayed at Havensworth, she couldn't ever remember staying in one. That was then, this was now, stop analysing she told herself.

It was close to five o'clock two hours before they were going out to eat, that Harry locked the door behind them and turned towards her. He felt the same overwhelming need for her that he had felt the night before, but this time he wanted to take it slowly and he wanted it to be special. He also needed to be sure that she was comfortable with his suggestion and that less than ten minutes since they had arrived at the hotel, they should go to bed. If she wanted to wait until later then he would willingly do so, it was all about her this time.

He needn't have asked, but she loved him all the more because he had, he was Harry and he had always been a gentleman. It was still daylight and he had drawn the curtains all but a small chink where the late afternoon sun shone in. The previous night they had been driven by sheer instinct and a desperate need, today it was different. Naked in front of each other for the first time and burning with anticipation, the banter had stopped, it was no longer a game.


	14. Chapter 14

The pub was olde-worlde, just as Harry had remembered and how had described it to Ruth. It hadn't changed at all unlike so many places that had been updated to accommodate diners as opposed to the locals who just popped in for a drink. I guess I'm showing my age he thought to himself as they were ushered through to a small but comfortable snug where four tables were already laid. The landlord's wife had assured them that it was all home cooking, she did it herself and she would be back in a jiffy to take their order.

Ruth had been quiet for a while, obviously deep in thought and totally unaware that Harry had started to worry. They had had sex again, not with the desperation of the first time, but neither of them had being totally relaxed and just as before, it had been over far too soon. Maybe it was his fault and had he pushed her too quickly by suggesting that they stay in a hotel, which could be construed as a one night stand? Perhaps she had changed her mind altogether or like the old days she was worried about what their colleagues would say when they went back to work.

In the early days of his marriage to Jane when he had been young and naiive he had never been in love, he knew that now. Having Ruth in his life had changed everything, so as difficult as it was he needed to put the recent events in the bedroom out of his mind and concentrate on what he planned to say.

* * *

Ruth was worried and struggling to relax, but not about any of the above. The last few days had been wonderful and so far removed from the unavoidable horrors of their everyday lives on the grid. Once they went back to work everything would change and they would be back to being boss and employee, spending hours sometimes days without seeing each other. She knew only too well that there were plenty of others out there like Juliet and Connie, who in the blink of an eye could take Harry from her, and the thought that she could lose him was terrifying her.

'Can I take your orders?' asked the landlady, looking expectantly at the thoughtful looking couple sitting in front of her.

Dragged back to the reason that they were here and with a quick glance at the menu, Harry ordered a steak and Ruth chose the chicken, both with salad and chips. A bottle of white wine and some water which Harry had asked for when they had first arrived, stood open on their table.

* * *

'We need to talk,' he said, not for the first time as he belatedly poured them both a glass of wine and in the background the sound system played a selection of classic love songs. Kiss me in the Rain, sang Barbara Streisand as amber eyes captured blue and two heart rates increased in unison.

Here goes he thought, taking a deep breath and holding her gaze.

'I love you Ruth and I want to be with you, I really do. I want us to be open and honest with each other with no more indecision and no more secrecy. Given what we do that's probably a stupid thing to say, but I'm sure you know what I mean. The past few days have been wonderful and I really hope that you feel the same. What happened to you has made me all the more aware as to how easily I could lose you, and I can't let that happen again. I know that I'm probably not doing this very well, but I'm asking you to move in with me.'

To say that she was surprised by what he had said was an understatement. Harry had always been so hesitant when it had come to her, or had he? The fact that he had obviously given thought to their future and had asked her to move in with him changed everything, So despite the uncertainties and fears that she was harbouring, she waited for him to continue.

'In a couple of years, less if you like, I can leave the service with no ties to the past. I can go anywhere in the world and do what I want to for a change, but more than anything I want to be with you.'

'Excuse me lovey,' said the landlady, doing a very good impression of Tariq as she arrived with their meals, completely unaware that she had interrupted the most crucial of moments.

'But there are so many what ifs,' said Ruth, as she struggled to find the right words.

'Ruth, listen to me,' he pleaded. 'People's lives are filled with what ifs, most of them pointless. Life's too short sweetheart and we've tortured each other with our indecision for years. I love you and more than anything I want to make you happy and I want us to spend the rest of our lives together.'

* * *

Harry was waiting for an answer she could see that, but her mouth had gone dry, her power of speech had seemingly left her and just for once, there was nothing to analyse. Always shy in public and never impetuous, she stepped totally out of character, abandoned her dinner and walked round the table and kissed him.

It was just as well that they had walked into the village as they had sat in the restaurant far longer than they had expected and consumed not only a three course meal but more wine than was probably good for them. For a couple who had always found it so hard to talk about their emotions, the flood gates had opened and the only topics of conversation were about each other and their expectations for the future. We'll have to tell them and I'll need to talk to the Home Secretary and DG, was the only sentence that had touched on work. The rest of the time it had been light hearted and overloaded with hope and love until the landlady arrived and told them it was nearly closing time.

The walk back to the hotel had been interrupted on more than one occasion. There was something rather liberating about having a good snog outdoors, it wasn't something that you could get away with in London, without attracting an audience. Having a few glasses of wine had seemingly broken down the barriers, as hands wandered to places as yet to be explored. By the time they reached the hotel which apart from the light in the entrance hall was in total darkness, there was no doubt that this was going to be night to remember.


	15. Chapter 15

The young man sitting in reception had said good evening but had taken little notice of the couple that had walked past him and were now heading for the stairs. Had he not been engrossed in a magazine, he would have seen and quite possibly felt, the barely controlled anticipation that was radiating from the guests on their way to room 3. In the space of just a few hours, a sense of excitement and optimism had replaced what up until now had been an overriding fear, that somehow or other they would lose what they had so recently found. What the future might hold was a subject to be discussed on another day, as the not so small matter of a night was still to be enjoyed.

Closing and locking the door behind them, Harry turned to face her and took her in his arms.

'Ruth,' he whispered, just as he had done in that corridor so many years ago. This time though the only music that was playing was in their heads, as slowly and with more gentleness than she had ever believed possible, his lips and his fingertips began to work their magic. Had she tried to resist it would have been impossible, such was the feeling of sheer joy that he evoked in her from the moment that he touched her.

'Please,' she begged him, so desperate was her need of him as she closed her eyes and surrendered.

Despite the endless speculation in the rumour mill that was Thames House, it had been years since Harry Pearce had spent a night with any other woman. More importantly, it had never mattered more to him than this. For as long as he could remember he had safeguarded his private thoughts and his emotions, so had little expectation that when he opened his heart to her that evening, that she would say yes. For the first time since he had joined the murky world of the security services he was in love and despite knowing his every fault and weakness, Ruth had told him that loved him too. The fact that they had taken so many years to reach this point he would always regret, but the past was just that. They had a future to look forward to and as they say, it starts now.

* * *

Slowly and very steadily, without any of the previous urgency, they shed their clothes each of the other. Their kiss which had started slowly had built to deep and arousing and her body had started to respond. Tonight though despite the stirring in his groin, he was determined to take it slowly.

It was a clear and moonlit night and he had purposely left the curtains slightly open. This was in many ways their first time and he needed to be sure that she was relaxed and happy.

'Shush,' he whispered, as with her arms above her head he leant forward and kissed her.

With the most gentle of touches, he trailed his lips across her throat and neck and at the same time gently caressed her breasts. It had been a long time since he had wanted to please a woman and never more than this. Her breathing had increased tenfold and her body had arched in expectation as she whimpered beside him and urged him on. Yet still he took his time. He moved slowly lower, his lips tongue and hands now feathering their way across her abdomen until she parted her legs and allowed him access, deep within her warmth. She was on the edge and shuddering beneath him as his fingers worked her towards climax.

'Harry,' she begged him, as her hands that had been gripping his thighs, sought his erection.

Further resistance was impossible, he was rock hard and his body and mind were screaming in unison with hers. Still slowly and with more tenderness than she had ever imagined possible, he teased himself inside and joined her in oblivion.

* * *

Ruth had slept soundly Harry hadn't, he didn't want to. This was one of those rare moments in his life when he had been able to relax and in this instance could feast his eyes on the woman now sleeping by his side. She was where she belonged and he had never felt so happy. He had dozed on and off but each time he had woken, the sound of her steady and gentle breathing had been a constant. Her beautiful blue eyes that drew him to her like a moth to a flame, her hair splayed out across her pillow and every inch of her beautiful body now imprinted in his memory, were his to love and to cherish. Most importantly, she had said yes. Not wanting to wake her but feeling the need to use the bathroom, he crept across the room and then back to their window which looked out across the silent garden. The view was uninterrupted and had him contemplating a myriad of destinations where he and Ruth might eventually live.

'A cup of tea would be nice,' said a sleepy voice behind him.

'At your service,' he replied turning to her with a smile.

Rolling onto her back and with her previous inhibitions seemingly mislaid, she pulled herself up and stretched her arms above her head.

'Dear God,' he said, 'you'll be the death of me,' as his mouth went dry, his heart rate increased and the mug in his hand attempted a nose dive onto the carpet.

Tea now finished, he had turned off the light and they were snuggled up together under the duvet.

'I've been thinking,' she said, 'about France.'

'How can you possibly have been thinking about anything, you've been asleep?' he replied, wondering not for the first time, if her brain ever shut down.

'Oh not now, but over the past week, about the time that I lived there for a while, you know before Cyprus. I liked it and would have stayed if it hadn't been so near to home.'

* * *

And so it was, that for the next hour, she told him about her first few months in exile. She had clung to the knowledge that there was nothing but a small expanse of water between them and had never stopped hoping that he would come and find her. It was stupid, because she knew it wasn't possible, but whenever she had heard an English voice, she had pretended just for a moment that it had been him.

'Even then, you loved me,' he said, struggling to keep control of the immense feeling of sadness that had overwhelmed him and tears that were threatening to fall.

'Always Harry, she replied.

That settles it he thought, tomorrow I'm going to see Towers.


	16. Chapter 16

It was early on Monday morning and most unusually after a weekend, the grid was alive with eager staff. Harry had called both Ros and Malcolm the previous evening to say that Ruth and he would be there first thing. Text messages ranging from great news to what do you reckon had buzzed across the airways, in anticipation that just for once it might be worth getting in on time.

Beth had dragged herself out of bed, still hung over from the previous evening's activities but determined that she wouldn't be the last to arrive. She had grown fond of Ruth during the short time that she had been living with her and having seen her and Harry together at the hospital, she was eager to know if what she had imagined them to be doing, had actually happened. She had never considered older men, so sleeping with Harry was not her idea of fun, but then she had never been in love and it was clear as day that both he and Ruth were head over heels. Having said that, her perception of Alec had changed of late and despite the fact that he was about the same age as Harry and swore a lot, he did have lovely eyes and she had taken him off her prats list.

The drive back from Oxfordshire to London had been an easy one with far less traffic than they had anticipated. Having collected Scarlet from Malcolm's mother and a takeaway to save them cooking, they were now snuggled up in front of the TV.

'It'll be fine,' he said, when Ruth expressed her concern about facing the others. 'Don't try and second guess what might happen, we're together, it's all that they need to know.'

Famous last words, he thought as they emerged through the pods with his hand firmly on Ruth's back and a round of applause rang out. A sea of happy and smiling faces greeted them and somewhere in the background, presumably it was Dimitri who was whistling. Grabbing her hand, as much for his own benefit as it was for hers they headed across the grid and towards the sanctuary of his office. They never quite made it, as Ruth was enveloped in a crowd of well-wishers that included Beth, Tariq, Dimitri and Malcolm. Shooting her his best I love you look, he disappeared into his own private sanctum and to a smiling Ros.

'What did you expect?' she asked him, 'they love her, we all do.'

Deciding that if he turned into the Grinch less than an hour after they got back that Ruth would tell him off, then maybe now wasn't the time to remind Ros that this was a place of work and ask her what the hell had been happening since he had been away.

'Don't worry, she's fine,' said Ros when she saw his anxious face trying to spot her in the melee of people that were surrounding the tray of coffee that Alec had delivered. 'They want a catch up that's all.'

Unlike Harry, Ruth was actually beginning to relax. She had always kept herself to herself, so having expected nothing more than a few questions as to how she felt and maybe the odd glad to see you back, she was overwhelmed by all the attention that she was getting. Dimitri having said good to see you back Evershed, had kissed her on the cheek, Beth had whispered something about how was it and we'll talk later, Malcolm had given her a huge hug and last but not least, Tariq had produced some flowers and a card, which apparently everyone had signed.

Handing out the drinks, Alec muttered something about being too old to be a tea boy and then said how nice it was to meet her and that he was glad that she was safe and well.

'I intend going to see the Home Secretary,' Harry told Ros, 'but before that, I'd like Ruth and I to have a chat with you and Malcolm.'

Having agreed that 1pm in The Cricketers, a quiet pub not far from Thames House would be better than the meeting room or his office, Ros gathered the last of her things together and headed back to her work station.

Things finally quietened down, life on the grid returned to normal and Ruth was once more sitting at her desk. As had always been the case when they paused from what they were doing, one or the other and more often both of them would look up and lock eyes with the other. It was a something that they had practiced to perfection, though this time when they did it, it went far deeper than their previous imaginations. It was ten days ago since she had first gone home with him and in that short space of time, everything had changed. They were living together and were a couple who were planning their future. By the end of the day, everyone that needed to know would have been told, but for now he was still her boss and she his senior analyst, and at work that would always be the case.

She had tidied her desk, turned on her computer and sorted and prioritised the huge number of files that were surrounding her. Searching for a pen and cursing whoever had been sitting at her desk and had moved her things, her email binged.

My office now H x, was the message, as she looked up to see him smiling at her.

How difficult could it be she thought, to walk across a room with heaven know how many of their colleagues watching, all knowing where she was heading. She had always carried a file when she had gone to see Harry more often than not an empty one, but it was pointless this time, it had only been a few minutes since she'd sat down.

'I need to ask you something,' he said, as he motioned for her to sit, then closed and locked his door.

This wasn't what they had discussed, they had agreed to keep work and home separate and he'd barely lasted half an hour.

'Harry, we're at work, we've only been back five minutes and you shouldn't be locking your door,' was all she managed before he interrupted her.

'I'm the boss, I can do what I like and besides I've got something important to say,' he said, taking her hand.

Wondering what on earth could have happened that couldn't wait, she gave him one of her old fashioned looks and sat down.

'I've made a decision and I've asked Ros and Malcolm to have lunch with us. Firstly though, I want to know what you think.'

'Retire, France and Sweetheart' were the only words that registered, before the flood gates opened and she collapsed into tears.


	17. Chapter 17

'Please don't send me to Tring,' she pleaded as she threw her arms round him and continued to sob. He realised with horror that for whatever reason, his declaration had somehow released memories and she was reliving her recent trauma. Idiot, he told himself, why do I always get things wrong?

This was the most private of moments and fortunately, Ros was the only one who noticed.

'Go home Harry this is all too soon,' she said as she closed the blinds and shut his door.

'Leave it Dimitri,' she snapped before he asked a question. Ros in this mood didn't broker argument and on mass their heads went down.

He rang John, fetched their coats and made a quiet exit from the grid. Mercifully no one had commented or even looked up and he suspected once again, that Ros had stepped in. The drive home had been a silent one, she seemingly unable to speak and he fearful of doing so until they were alone. John said nothing although fully aware that something had happened during the few hours that his boss and Miss Evershed had been at work. Opening the car door, he watched them still hand in hand he noticed, just as it had been the first time he had taken her out. He liked his boss, he really did and he had been so much happier since she had been back.

* * *

Having made the obligatory cup of tea and persuaded her to eat some toast, he considered what best to say.

'How about we go back to bed,' he suggested, eliciting a small nod, 'we'll be cosy and we'll be warm and I'm not suggesting anything more than a cuddle.'

'There not just happy tears,' he told her, when she tried to play it down. 'We all lock things away believe me I know. You can't do this alone, you need to talk to someone and I would rather it was me.'

'I'm not always such an idiot,' he had added for good measure, 'and I promise you, you're not going to Tring.'

They lay close but not touching except for his thumb which gently stroked her hand. Time stood still, she searching to find the words and he struggling to contain the monumental fury that was mounting inside him, as she offloaded her nightmare and he silently vowed to make it better. She told him how frightened she had been and how sure she had been that she would die. The fact that he and Juliet had had an affair had made it so much worse and that when she had described in detail the sex that they had enjoyed, she had started to cry. How small and inadequate she had made her feel and how she had reached a point where she had honestly believed that she would never see him again. She had tried to stay strong, but Juliet had known exactly what she was doing and her taunting had been relentless. She had always been jealous of Juliet which was an awful thing to say, but worse than that, she was glad that she was dead.

When they had been away together it had been lovely and she had never been so happy. She didn't know why when everyone had been so kind and he had said that he was retiring, that something had just snapped.

'Despite everything,' she said, 'I know you love me Harry, you always have and I so much want us to be together,'

This time when the dam broke, it was him. Years wasted, filled with regret flooded his mind, as though his life depended on it, he rolled her close to him and wept.

'We're quite a pair aren't we, perhaps we should both go to Tring?' she suggested and smiled, as he blew his nose and she wiped away his tears.

* * *

'Scarlet really needs a walk he said,' when they were back down in the kitchen and debating what to cook for dinner, at which point his small canine friend barked loudly and her tail whizzed round. 'It will do us good and we'll work up an appetite.'

Transference, she had read the handbook and she knew what he was doing, but she did feel better and it would be good to go out. It was still reasonably warm with the last vestiges of sunlight as they crossed the road and up onto the heath. As soon as Scarlet was off her lead, she raced off into the distance in pursuit of pigeons, but as soon as Harry whistled, she turned back. It was that in between time of day, when kids were leaving school and people heading home, with lives so different from their own. Harry was right, if he retired now it could be like this every day.

Harry was doing better than he realised and when he suggested that they cook dinner together, she readily agreed. He opened a bottle of wine and with two glasses now poured, they sat either side of the table. Can you pass me that or where's that really sharp knife you have, pretty much summed up their conversation as he chopped vegetables and she prepared the chicken. The wine was helping and as Ruth relaxed, Harry re-found his smile. Their phones stayed silent, there was no talk of work and a loving Harry, continued to be very hands on. Bedtime was approaching and with it, the will we won't we question. She hoped they would, so did but he didn't want to push her.

'Let's leave the washing up,' he suggested after they had stacked the dishes, 'it can just as easily be done in the morning.'

Scarlet was in from the garden, the cats were asleep and the doors were locked and bolted.

Back in bed, just as it had been earlier, they were lying side by side. With the gentlest of movements, he ran his fingers through her hair and leant towards her, all the time watching to be sure that she was OK. It was up to her and only when she was ready.

'Kiss me Harry,' she said, when she saw his hesitation, 'and thank you for today.'

Comfort sex it may have been, but it was beautiful. Towers would have to wait, they had better things to do.


	18. Chapter 18

It was a further three days before Ruth insisted that she go back to work but with the proviso that Ros would have a word and she wouldn't be the centre of attention. In the meantime Harry had popped into his office for a few hours each day, but in the main had spent his time with Ruth. Their much talked about 'Grand Tour' was in the planning but was going to be confined to France. Cities and big towns had been eliminated, the real France was what they were seeking and that could only be found off the beaten track. Living there for a year, maybe forever was an exciting prospect and apart from a very special trip to Paris which Harry was keeping up his sleeve, anywhere would do as far as he was concerned.

'It's up to you,' he said, kissing her on the forehead as they poured over a largescale map of the largest country in Western Europe. Ruth's excitement was infectious as she pointed to the places that she had stayed and thank God thought Harry, with a perfect French accent.

'We need to tell Catherine and Graham,' she said, 'you can't just disappear without telling your children,'

There had been a lot of _we and us_ in recent conversations and as always when it came to Ruth, Harry's mind went back and now forward to her security. So far and against all the odds they had made it, but with the age difference between them, there was every chance that she would eventually end up alone. To marry Ruth was all he'd ever wanted, for her as much as for him, so he had researched the implications were they to be husband and wife and eventually live in France. Whether she would say yes when he asked her he had no idea, but of one thing he was certain, he had to get the timing right.

* * *

As Harry left for Whitehall, Beth arrived with lunch. Whether by design or by coincidence it didn't matter, Ruth was more than pleased to see her. They had been chatting for a while or more specifically Beth had, about her latest Alec someone.

'Changing the subject completely,' she said, 'and do tell me to keep my mouth shut if you want me to, but when I saw you at the hospital, or more specifically when I saw Harry, well you do you realise how much in love with you he is.'

Beth was Beth, blunt and to the point and not so long ago, Ruth would have run a mile. But that was then and this was now, and everything had changed. Tomorrow he would tell them all and then just maybe, they would get some peace.

'Ask away,' she said, 'but I know you, so I draw the line at talking about anything in the bedroom.'

'Bugger,' said Beth, 'their always the best bits, and besides I've signed the Official Secrets Act.

'I should jolly well hope so,' said a voice from the hall and a smiling Harry walked into the kitchen and pinched a sandwich from Ruth's plate.

It was so normal thought Beth as she looked between them and watched him make himself a drink. Harry smiling was a rarity in itself, but this was something else. He had the same _I love you_ expression, it radiated from him, he had answered her question re the bedroom. Time to go she thought, but one last try.

'So?' she asked, knowing that she was pushing her luck. Ditsy she might be, but it had worked the first time, when Harry to give her a second chance.

Had she not known them, it would have been unnerving, but this was them and she had seen it all before. She watched fascinated as a silent message passed between them.

'We're off to France,' said Ruth as though it was an everyday event, 'for a year, but until we come in tomorrow, no texts, you have to promise.'

Wow and when had hovered on her lips, but Ruth was waiting for an answer, she could see that.

'Right, back to work,' she said, 'and I promise, my lips are sealed.'

'That girls got a nerve,' he said as as the front door closed behind her, then promptly pinched another sandwich.

Towers had been less than happy, but had accepted Harry's resignation. Three months they has agreed, time enough to appoint and train his successor. He had got used to Harry and didn't want a change, he liked him and would miss him, but fell short of saying so.

'Christmas in Paris, all very romantic,' he had said with a glint in his eye. 'Can I assume that you won't be going alone?'

'You can Home Secretary,' Harry had replied, leaving Towers in no doubt, that section D would also be appointing a new senior analyst.

* * *

'It'll be fine,' he said, repeating his words of a week ago, as they walked back onto the grid. This time, apart from a few polite good mornings and a wink from Beth, Harry reached his office and Ruth her desk. It had been tidied and miraculously the huge pile of files that she had abandoned had disappeared. Malcolm came over to say hello and Alec it seemed had got his way as Tariq delivered her tea. Alec, surely not.

The morning continued without incident and within an hour, Ruth was quite at home. Harry kept his distance and the one time she did look up, he was studiously buried in files. He had spoken to Ros and Malcolm, she had seen that but there was still the meeting room announcement to get through. Before that, they lunch planned in the park and a chance to hear what he had said.

Spot on midday, he arrived at her desk. No one looked up and no one commented, it was so much better. This time, she knew that she would cope.

'What did they say?' She questioned as she handed him his drink and turned her attention to the wrapping on their sandwiches.

'Ros actually hugged me,' he said, 'I may never recover, and Malcolm well you know him, he just grinned and said something like at last.'

'At last what, Harry?' She asked, wondering just how much he had told them.

'I don't know, but I have never hidden the way I feel about you, so assume that even Malcolm must have a fair idea as to what we've been doing.'

'Our plans Harry, that's what you were going to tell them. Did you even mention France?'

'Absolutely not and providing Miss Bailey keeps to her word, it can wait another day. Before that, I seem to remember you saying that we should to talk to Catherine, so how about tonight and dinner, in or out you choose.'

'Out.' said Ruth, ' if that's OK?'

What should she wear and the panic would come later he knew that, but he was on a role and he could cope with that.

* * *

It had been a while since he had spoken to his daughter and never about Ruth. Even in the years when she had been away, and Catherine had come to his aid, he had never answered her questions of concern. Now though he was happy to tell the world and tonight was a good time to start.


	19. Chapter 19

'Yes tonight,' Catherine said to Graham when she called him about Harry's invitation, 'I know you say you hate him and I know it's short notice but he said it was important, so come on Graham it's a free meal and I know you're hard up.'

'Graham,' said Harry with hesitation when she rang him back, well we'll see you at seven.'

We'll? thought Catherine, who had never thought about, let alone met any of her father's friends. The last time she had seen him for any length of time had been a year ago when he had been really down. They had grown closer than they had ever been but trying to get him to open up had proved impossible, he was as stubborn as she was. Maybe persuading Graham to come with her was a mistake it had been years since he had seen their father, but if it was as urgent and important as he had made it sound, then he needed to be there.

Harry had been right and with an hour to go before the taxi was due to arrive, Ruth was in full panic mode. Why the hell had she suggested they should meet his children, she had nothing to wear, her hair wouldn't stay where she wanted it to and maybe he should go without her were just some of her concerns that were being hurled at him. They had showered together as he had suggested in an attempt to calm her down and that had been lovely, but if the colour of her face was anything to go by, she was about to combust.

'Don't sweetheart me and stop bloody laughing,' she yelled, as she rifled through her clothes for the umpteenth time.

He loved her like this, full of energy and passion, but he needed to do something quickly and his tried and tested method usually did the trick. More than anything tonight he would need her strength, so doing his utmost to avoid her flying arms, he pulled her to him and kissed her, long, hard and passionately.

'That one,' he said, pointing to the dress that she was currently holding, 'I've always love you in red and so will they.'

Catherine had decided that they should arrive at the restaurant before their father and be sitting down. That way she might stand a fighting chance to keep Graham where he was, as opposed to bolting for the door. What she hadn't counted on was that her father would bring a woman with him and most unlike him, he would be holding her hand.

'Still at it I see,' Graham muttered, as Ruth and Harry walked towards them.

'Shut up Graham, it's only yourself you'll embarrass if you behave like this, just give him a chance, she looks nice' she replied, praying that just for once, her older brother would behave like it.

'Graham, Catherine it's good to see you both, this is Ruth,' said Harry equally concerned.

Catherine smiled and shook Ruth's hand, so did Graham but without the smile.

Here the conversation stalled as Harry cleared his throat and Ruth contemplated saying nice to have met you and make a run for it. This was not up to her, he was their father for heaven's sake, but she could read him like a book and she could see the signs.

Desperate to break the ice and not unknown for speaking before she thought it through, she ploughed ahead.

'We work together, we've known each other for years, but it's only recently that we've, well you know,' she said, running out of words. Please god someone help me here she thought and grabbed at Harry's knee.

Mercifully for everyone and Ruth in particular, the waiter arrived to take their order and Harry found his voice.

Pouring everyone a glass of wine, he smiled at Ruth and re took her hand.

'My news,' he said looking at their two expectant faces, 'Ruth and I are living together and I'm planning to retire.'

Catherine needed more, it was her job to ask questions and in her nature to be nosy. She had heard what Ruth had said, specifically that they had known each other for years. How long have you known each other was the first question that she wanted to ask, isn't she a bit young for you ran a close second, but that would be rude and if you've known each other for years, why were so you so miserable the last time that I last saw you?

Graham still wanted to leave, but curiosity was getting the better of him. Ruth looked lovely and so different from the sort of women that his mother had described. He had vivid memories of the last time he had seen his Dad and the dreadful row that had been going on. You're married to the f -ng service his Mum had screamed at him and shortly after that, the door had slammed and he was gone. Catherine was wrong, he didn't hate his dad, he just resented the fact that Catherine had never given up on him, had spent time with him and got to know him, whereas he was jobless, useless and alone. Struggling to cope and needing space, he pushed back his chair and headed for the door.

'Stay there,' said Harry as he saw Catherine about to make a move, 'this is up to me.'

Squeezing Ruth's hand and smiling at his daughter, he left them to it and headed out in search of his son.

'So you and Dad, you've known each other for years you said, so why now?' asked Catherine as she swopped seats and started her interrogation.

'I can't tell you everything, you know how it is, but I'll do my best,' said Ruth, as she went on to explain the saga that was her and Harry.

She talked about the early days and how they had always had a connection but how she had been naïve and concerned about gossip and Harry hadn't pushed her. That she had had to go away which had been awful for them both and that when she had come back, they continued much as before although they had grown much closer and he had taken her out a few times. Then, when last month she had been put in terrible danger and with the prospect that they wouldn't see each other again, she had moved in with him. It had galvanised them into acting on their feelings and at last, they were really happy.

'There's a lot more I could tell you and once we leave the service I will,' she said, 'but what I want you to know and I can tell you now, is that I love him Catherine and I will look after him, I promise you.'

Harry had gone outside, ready for a battle. Instead and much to his astonishment he had found Graham leaning against the wall, his face covered by his hands and crying. Instinct kicked as memories flooded back to the young boy that Graham had once been and for the first time in over ten years, Harry held his son.


	20. Chapter 20

The evening had been lovely, they had all enjoyed their meal and much to Ruth's relief, Graham and Harry had continued to relax. For all their sakes, she didn't want the evening to end. It might be ages before they had another opportunity like this.

'Maybe we should all have coffee at home,' she suggested when the waiter arrived at their table, 'it'll be more comfortable than sitting here.'

Outside now and waiting for their taxi, the temperature had dropped. It had been a long and stressful evening and she had started to shiver. Without a thought and with no apparent concern that his children might be watching, Harry put his arm around her. It was warm, comforting and loaded with an unspoken thank you. Had they been alone, she would have sunk herself into him and told him to take her home to bed, but until his children had said their goodnights, there was still a lot to do.

'Come on Graham, we'll make the coffee,' said Catherine as they peeled off their coats, 'you two go and sit down.'

'Bossy isn't she,' kidded Ruth, as Harry turned up the heating and she shifted the cats who had taken up residence in his chair.

'Budge up,' he said, sitting down. He was close, inches from her, his eyes burning into hers. She was the reason that his children were here tonight, she was the reason that he was talking to his son and ill-advised or not, he had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. It was slow and it was sensual, and was a kiss that said I love you.

'Oops,' whispered Catherine, as she and Graham turned tail and headed back towards the kitchen.

'How long do you think we should give them?' he asked, with such a serious face that Catherine laughed.

'I don't know ten minutes maybe, but make that ruddy coffee, before they go to bed,' she giggled.

Ruth and more specifically Harry would have loved to have gone to bed, but they still hadn't told Graham and Catherine about their plan to go to France and he was worried about their reaction. It had been years since he had been this close to his children, and here he was, about to tell them that he was going to disappear again.

'It's France Harry, not eastern Europe,' she said. 'For the first time in their lives they'll know where you are, and just think of the holidays we'll all have.

The coffee and of course a tea for Ruth finally arrived. Quite why Catherine and Graham were grinning, he had no idea, but Ruth had told him that it would be OK and she was usually right.

For more than hour and with more wine opened to give Harry the courage he felt he needed, they talked about their plans. How he was resigning from the service at the beginning of December and that they were planning to move to France. They had no particular destination in mind and no idea where they would eventually settle but if they could get all the arrangements in place, then they would leave before Christmas. Ruth told them that she had lived in France for two years but apart from missing their father, she had been happy there. She spoke French, so if needs be she could always find a job. Their much studied map and the odd guide book covered the coffee table and as Ruth chatted, his children listened, and Harry watched on. Her enthusiasm was infectious and as she started to relax so did they. He was more than happy to take a back seat, it had been years since he had been this happy and it was entirely down to her.

'Wherever we settle,' he said, 'it's going to be rural, we've had enough of cities. In fact we might buy something that needs some work doing and Ruth fancies a garden, so we won't be bored.'

'I'm sure you won't,' said a now buzzing Catherine, but Graham had gone quiet again and Harry had been watching him.

'I was wondering,' he said hesitantly and sounding very like his father, 'should you need a hand when you find a house, if I could come and help.'

For the second time in as many hours, Harry wanted to hug his son, but this time his legs wouldn't work. Yes, he wanted to shout, but the words didn't come.

'When can you start?' said Ruth, saving the day, 'We need all the help we can get.'

It was nearly midnight when they both left, promising to keep in touch. Catherine was due to fly to Spain in the next couple of days but Graham had arranged to come and see them at the weekend. To get some practice, he had said.

'Bed,' said Ruth when he had closed and locked the door. At any other time Harry would have seen it as an invitation, but tonight it meant sleep. It had been an incredible day, life changing for all of them and totally exhausting. With the briefest of kisses and a mumbled goodnight, they were spooned together and asleep.

It was 5am when he woke up and in desperate need of a pee. It was no use, he had to get up. Not wanting to wake Ruth, he crept to the bathroom and then downstairs to the kitchen. Scarlet had heard him and after her customary welcome, was now out in the garden. Sorting through the evidence of the previous evening, he stacked the dishwasher and then cleared a space to make himself a coffee and some toast. He had an hour to spare before he needed to wake Ruth, time enough to think about what he would say in the morning meeting. He hated speeches, especially when it was about anything other than work, but this was more important than when he had told Towers and he wanted to get it right. Notes, he thought to himself, remembering the endless lectures that he had attended.

Both he and Ruth were retiring, she in a month and he at the beginning of December.

They were together now and happy and they planned to spend a year in France.

He would be talking to the DG about his replacement and he would be advertising for an analyst to replace Ruth, were as far as he got before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Harry, you're not planning an op,' she said, 'this is an informal meeting with our colleagues and in some cases friends, to tell them that we're leaving.'

'I don't do informal, you know that, and I can't keep relying on you to bale me out,' he said.

'Well do informal now and kiss me,' she said grinning at him, 'and then I'd like a cup of tea.'


	21. Chapter 21

'Harry, they're here,' shouted Ruth as she watched the car make its way up the drive. Drive was an exaggeration and dusty track more aptly described the narrow roadway to their house.

* * *

It was eighteen months since they had wandered into the small French village, a mile from where they now lived. At fifteen hundred feet, up a narrow and winding road, it had been love at first sight, with what had been described as _an_ _isolated farmhouse with work required._ The asking price was well within their budget, but with ferocity worthy of Harry, Ruth had persuaded the owner to shake hands for much less.

Graham's presence had been a godsend, as without complaint and for the best part of three months, he had lifted and shifted with an energy that had surprised even him. By the time that they waved him goodbye at the airport, all but the decorating was done, that was their job for the winter.

He and Harry had muddled along, but his strongest bond had been with Ruth. She had teased and encouraged him in equal measure and instilled in him a real sense of belief. During one late evening conversation, after Harry had gone to bed, she had told him the story of her own childhood and how difficult it had been.

'We get what we're given Graham,' she said, 'it's what we do with it that counts.'

'I don't suppose you'd dump him and marry me,' he joked, as she hugged him goodnight, 'he'll ask, just you see.'

Life couldn't have been better and Harry in particular, was fitter than he had been for years. The garden which Ruth and Graham had created, had flourished, and despite the fact that it was only in its first year, they had a freezer full of produce. They had explored the local area and the nearest large town, walked miles across the hills and having shopped in the village almost every day, had made umpteen friends. They had gone from being called 'that English couple' to being Harry and Ruth, although in his case arry, in a country, where no one could say the letter H.

The first winter snow fell early, well before Christmas, and with it came the quiet isolation that they craved. Slowly but surely the house came to life as they worked side by side with the decorating, and shared the household chores. Ruth had a good eye for colour so they had stuck to the traditional neutral for the walls and let the fittings do the rest.

For the first time ever, they were able to stop working when they wanted to and had set themselves a deadline at four. They then showered and changed and took turns to cook, generally based on who was the most tired. Dinner was at a relaxed pace and more often than not, they were in bed by ten. It was idyllic, especially for Harry, who had spent his entire working life at the beck and call, of whatever it threw at him. They were finally where they were destined to be and every day, he made sure that he thanked her for it, and told her that he loved her.

In the run up to Christmas, they made their fortnightly trip to their nearest large town, to stock up on food and wine. The newly invented Harry, who for years had refused to acknowledge Christmas or allow the grid to be decorated, had insisted that they buy a tree. It was bitterly cold by the time they arrived home and they had struggled, firstly with the mountains of shopping and then with the tree. Surrounded by boxes, the tree and a small terrier vying for their attention, Harry closed the door.

'I'm frozen, I can't feel my feet,' she moaned, as she collapsed onto a seat.

Ever the gentleman, he knelt down, helped her out of her boots and rubbed her feet. She was tired, covered in pine needles and her cheeks rosy with the cold, but to Harry, she had never looked more beautiful. It was totally unplanned, but this was his moment and he knew it.

'Marry me Ruth,' he said.

* * *

It was a beautiful June day and two days before their wedding. Catherine had flown back from Spain, Graham who was now working for a building contractor, plus Malcolm who had retired and Beth who had badgered Ros relentlessly to have a few days off, were climbing from the car.

'Harry,' Ruth shouted again, as she raced down the steps.

'God, you look so bloody well,' said Beth, who hadn't seen Ruth since the day that she'd left and never in shorts.

There were hugs all round, before Graham and Catherine helped Beth unload the car. They had flown out together and hired the car, with scary Beth as Graham had christened her, being the designated driver.

Harry had heard her shout, but had held back. It was a while since he had seen his children and although they had agreed to come to the wedding, he was slightly unsure, as to how they really felt. Malcolm had been delighted when he had called him and Ruth had been adamant that Beth should be there. He watched on, his fears despatched as Catherine and Graham chatted to Ruth, ten to the dozen. Beth was grinning from ear to ear and Malcolm, well he just smiled.

'Harry, it's lovely to see you,' said Malcolm shaking him warmly by the hand. Catherine hugged and kissed him and Graham shook his hand and slapped him on the back.

'Miss Bailey,' said an amused Harry, aware that she was staring at his legs.

'Not at all bad, is he,' whispered Ruth, as she went over to help her with the luggage.

Whilst Harry had shown them to their rooms, Ruth had laid the table and carried the food outside. The days of a quick sandwich were long gone and for the past three months as it had got warmer, they always ate outside. Beth arrived to help her, and she suspected to get another look at her soon to be husbands legs. He was standing with his back to her, on the edge of the patio, and pointing out to Malcolm, the tiny hamlets on the other side of the gorge. It was a glorious view whatever the time of day, and they loved it.

'I'm so pleased you invited me, said Beth, 'I wouldn't have missed this for the world.'

It was seven in the morning, it was their wedding day and totally out of character, the great Harry Pearce was panicking. He'd had been awake since five and as always with Scarlet for company, he had watched the sun come up and drunk his first coffee of the day.

'Harry for goodness sake, come back to bed,' said a calm voice, when he arrived with her tea. 'It's only three lines and I know they're in French, but it'll be alright.

Four hours later, with Harry dressed in his one and only suit and Ruth in a cornflower blue summer dress, they walked hand in hand, from the car park to the village hall.

'Bonjour,' said, their mayor smiling at them, as he shook hands and then asked Ruth to introduce their guests.

'Yes we're ready,' she said in perfect French, as she looked towards Harry. You could have heard a pin drop as the mayor indicated for them to step forward. As it was, Harry was sure that they could hear his heart that was thundering in his chest, as he took Ruth's hand and turned to face her. Graham stood beside him and Beth beside Ruth. Behind them stood Catherine and Malcolm. It was, as Ruth had once said, simple and elegant as with a gentle smile, the Mayor finally told him, that he could kiss the bride.

The villagers had turned out in force to greet them as they walked the few hundred yards to their favourite restaurant for lunch, on what had been a truly wonderful day.

'Where's your spirit of Romance,' he whispered, finally divulging the destination for their honeymoon.


End file.
